Editor,
Further to Madeline Thon’s excellent evaluation of the dubious virtues of proportional representation (‘Proportional representation – learn from other countries’ mistakes’ published July 27), to her examples of B.C. and Israel, I’d add Germany and the Netherlands. Under PR, they were unable to form a government for months, and after they finally did, there is general dissatisfaction with the results.
Those who equate PR with “our democracy” have it (deliberately) backwards: Democracy is nothing more than a rule of the majority. PR is a misrule of squabbling single-issue, regional, ideological minorities.
The present B.C. government is a simplified example of this: A tiny minority of eco-zealots reluctantly prop a larger minority of socialist “progressives.” It’s an unholly alliance. But democracy it is not.
As they say, be careful what you wish for, etc.
Jerry Mencl
Telkwa